Scarcely Seen
by MythGirl Writes
Summary: Rarepairs are almost never in the spotlight, so what better way to give them a chance to shine than a collection of oneshots? Rated T for possible language. Note, I recently grew bored of this idea, so I'm no longer working on it. Sorry!
1. Heartbreak in His Eyes- VoidCube

**So, this is new! And about 2,000 words longer than usual...**

 **Anyways, this story, as the summary stated, is a collection of rarepair oneshots. I'll mostly be updating this when I have writer's block and need something to rid me of it (as I did with this chapter), or if I really feel like writing a certain pair that needs more love.**

 **Please note, some of these rarepairs are going to be same-sex. While I won't be writing anything explicit (hence the rating of T), there may be some slight language at times. I'll post a warning at the beginning of any same-sex chapters for those who would rather not read them. There will also likely be cross-canon ships, so if for some reason you have a problem with that, then you can wait for the next chapter to start reading again.**

 **Now, without further ado, here is our first rarepair, VoidCube (Rosa x N)!**

* * *

The large wooden door creaked open as Rosa pushed it, allowing her into the musty room she had grown to be familiar with. Everything in here was the same as it was before, but something was still clearly wrong. Her friend, someone who had saved her life before, was doing something she would not in a million years expect.

That was because there, in the middle of the old Team Plasma throne room, N was crying on the ground with a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. He glanced up at her, realizing that she was standing right in front of him, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, taking deep breaths as she moved towards him.

"Rosa. I-I wasn't expecting you," he said plainly, his voice thick and wavering. As close as she was now, she could see that the areas around his eyes were puffy, as though he'd been crying for a while. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "I apologize for my current state."

While she was not expecting to see him like this, that didn't mean he had to apologize and it certainly didn't lessen her concern. "N, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Two vague questions, one after the other. She had no idea how or even _if_ he would answer them, but simply seeing him in enough pain as to cry made her sad as well. Because even though it was a while ago and he was older than her by a good few years- damn it, she had feelings festering for him ever since he saved her from that kyurem's glaciate. Seeing him in this much pain did not do anything good for her.

"It's. . . nothing." His tone suggested otherwise, and Rosa could see in his eyes that he was lying, even though he was doing his best to not make eye contact. She kneeled down on the floor next to him, gently draping an arm around his shoulders even though she knew he preferred no physical contact. This was a time where he needed comfort, and this was how she was going to provide it.

"I think we both know that's not true." She spoke gently, in a voice that could calm even her temperamental hydreigon when it was on a rage. "You know you can talk to me, right? We've been friends for a while. You can tell me anything you want or need to." And this was true; she would be more than happy to alleviate his stress in any way possible, whether it be by talking or simply sitting in silence.

He took a shuddering breath, leaning into her slightly, much to her surprise. Ever since she had known him, he had never wanted to embrace or touch her in a way other than shaking hands. For him to initiate contact like this was new territory for her, and probably him as well. "You remember how I told you about the events that transpired two years ago."

Two years ago? Right, the initial takedown of Team Plasma. Still, what did that have to do with him crying? "Yes, I do."

"You also remember how I talked of finding a certain trainer."

Well, he had only brought the trainer up a couple of times, and the mentionings were very far apart as well. He never really elaborated much about the trainer. "Yes. Did you end up finding the trainer like you said you would?"

He tilted his head towards the ground, his long green ponytail brushing up against her. "Not. . .not quite." There was silence from him for a long moment, and Rosa was afraid he was shutting down again. "Two years ago, this trainer helped me see the error in my ways. Her pokémon spoke to me every time we met, telling me how much they loved her and how much she cared for them. She was certainly different than others I had met, but in what I think now was a good way."

Oh. He had a "she" in his life already, one that he had ties with previously. To prevent her mind from wrapping too much around this new information, she nodded. "Go on."

"I think you and her would get along nicely, though she was always very headstrong and occasionally too bold for her own good. She was the one to take down Team Plasma and my f- Ghetsis," he corrected himself, having stopped calling that man his father a while ago. "She and her two friends were so kind to one another, it was really something I hadn't seen before. When I met her, I had only just started venturing out into the real world, believing that all humans mistreated pokémon. She was the first one who proved otherwise.

"I remember when I had told her I was the king of Team Plasma." His voice took on a nostalgic undertone, and she listened carefully, drinking in his words. "I had asked her to come on the ferris wheel in Nimbasa City so we could find the Team Plasma grunts easier. She agreed, and it was there that I broke the news to her.

"She didn't take it very well. At first she took it in silence- something so unlike her that it appalled me. Then, once my words sank in, she started becoming angry, asking why I had bothered to become close to her as a friend only to betray her." He shook his head, the brim of his hat shielding his eyes. "That was the first time a human referred to me as a friend."

The light that had been filtering into the room was clouded momentarily, the sun blocked for a few seconds before the light returned, shining on both of them. "It must've been awful to be yelled at for something you believe in," Rosa sympathised. She had personal experience with this, having been reprimanded by Hugh several times over for believing that N could love her. And even though it looked like he had been right all along, she still felt that they had been similar experiences.

N continued on, his voice slowly becoming stronger. "It was, but I didn't think much of it back then. I found her a worthy rival in battle, and vowed to myself that I wouldn't let her get in the way of Team Plasma's ideals. I believed those ideals to be truths back then, truths that would benefit everyone. Now I know that they did nothing but shatter too many bonds between friends.

"After she had defeated Ghetsis and had the old champion and one of her friends take him to prison, I flew off on Zekrom after she and I. . .traded some words. That was the last I saw of her for a long time, but I always heard from Zekrom that Reshiram, who had chosen her as its hero, was always only a short distance away. I didn't want to cross paths with her, worried that she might try to have me arrested as well. So each time Zekrom alerted me that they were close, I hid. Looking back on it now, it was one of the worst decisions of my life."

His speech slowed down from its usual fast speed to one where she didn't have to strain to hear every word. "Zekrom stopped sensing Reshiram for a month or so, so I decided to come back to Unova. Then, after I had met you, I started thinking about her more and more. You. . . remind me of her, somehow."

This was news to her. From N's description of this trainer, it seemed like they wouldn't have a lot in common. For one, Rosa wouldn't exactly call herself brave. Any time she was facing Team Plasma, even the grunts, she'd get butterfrees in her stomach that didn't subside until hours later. She couldn't even imagine taking down Ghetsis without the help of someone else. It was only because N was there in Giant Chasm that she was able to defeat the black kyurem. "You said recently that you wanted to try to find her, right?" she recalled from one of their conversations a month or so ago.

"Yes. Being in your presence more often made me wonder where she was and what she had been doing. I tried contacting her friends, but only one of them responded. I'm afraid the other is still wary of me from my old affiliation with Team Plasma. Her friend that talked to me, though, told me that the trainer had come looking for me immediately after beating the league. I think her name is Bianca?"

Bianca? He couldn't mean Professor Juniper's assistant, could he? "I think I know her! Kind of short, fluffy blonde hair?"

Even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell that he was kind of surprised. "Yes, that's her. How do you know her?"

"She's Professor Juniper's assistant. She gave me my serperior back when it was a snivy." A sudden memory from back in Aspertia City captured her thoughts. "Does this mean you know Cheren, too?"

"Yes. They were both H- the trainer's friends." Rosa pretended not to noticed his slip-up as he continued. "What's Cheren up to nowadays?"

She grinned to herself, remembering her first gym battle against him. "He's the gym leader of Aspertia City as well as a teacher. He and Bianca said that they hadn't seen each other in two years when they saw each other outside of his gym. I wonder why they didn't remain in contact?"

N muttered something under his breath that she couldn't make out. "So, a gym leader and a teacher? I thought he might do something like that. He wouldn't talk to me when I called, but like I said, Bianca did. In addition to what she had told me about the trainer coming to look for me, she said that neither of them had seen her in those two years."

"Two years without seeing your friend must be awful," she commented, still somewhat confused as to what all of this had to do with his tears. However, she knew him, so she knew that it must all be connected in some way.

"It was. But once Bianca had given me this information, I started looking for the trainer even though Zekrom hadn't sensed Reshiram in a while. I figured that she might still be out there somewhere in Unova, like she had come back and given up on finding me.

"I didn't find her, and the only breaks I gave myself were to spend time with you." That sentence made her heart flutter. He actually wanted to spend time with her? "You were my one reprieve of driving myself mad. I had started to accept that I wouldn't find the trainer, even stopping in Nuvema Town, her home town, to speak with her mother. She was surprised to see me, saying that her daughter was out in another region looking for me. Even she hadn't heard from the trainer in those two years." He tilted his head back to look up at her. "She did mention, however, that another girl that looked kind of like her daughter stopped in. She said that she's friends with the girl's mother, who lives in Aspertia City. That wouldn't happen to be you she met, would it?"

It took her a moment to recall these events. It hit her as she remembered the nice lady in Nuvema Town who mistook her for someone else at first, asking if she had found N yet. How had she not connected those dots earlier into his story? "Yeah, that was me," she told him with a small smile. "I almost forgot about my first conversation with her."

N jumped right back into his story. "Two days ago. . . Bianca called me. I was excited to hear from her; I thought she had found the trainer."

"Did she?" Rosa hated interrupting, but she was eager for this story to have a happy ending for him.

The waver in his voice returned, as though he were on the verge of crying again. "Yes. She and Cheren both found her in Chargestone Cave. They had tracked her cross-transceiver signal to there." She was about to express how glad she was that his friend was found, but he continued on, his voice heavy with sorrow. "They found her d-dead."

This news broke into her like a knife. No wonder he had been crying, if one of his friends was found dead after two years. She couldn't even say anything, just held him tighter as tears formed in her eyes as well.

"I-I didn't get to tell her goodbye," he cried out, tears streaming down his face once more. "A-and the worst part is, G-ghetsis killed her." Oh. Oh, no. The Shadow Triad had said that Ghetsis had a mental breakdown, that he wasn't a threat to Unova anymore.

Then again, they said to Unova, not the trainer that had taken him down in the first place.

"N, I'm so sorry," she murmured, burying her face in his shoulder. "That must've been awful to find out."

He made a sound almost equivalent to a whimper before speaking again. "S-she probably thought I was running from her, that I h-hated her. I didn't hate her, Rosa. She w-was one of my only human f-friends. She d-didn't know that. A-and now I can't tell her." His tears were coming faster and easier now, and she could see the fresh pain in his face as she shifted in her arms, turning to face her and tightening his grip on her. Now it was his turn to bury his face in her shoulder. "It's m-my fault, Rosa. It's my fault she's dead."

"No, it's not. How could you say that?" It was bad enough that his friend was dead, how could he be blaming himself for it?

"I was the one who told her about being the leader of Team Plasma. That was what brought her to bring down Ghetsis, which caused his rage. If only anyone else had done it-" he cut himself off with a shake of his head. "No. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I just- I just wish she would've known how much she changed me. Because I _have_ changed from her actions."

This trainer was sounding more and more like an old flame, but Rosa knew better than to question him about it. Instead, she just let him vent.

His voice grew stronger with every sentence, though devoid of almost all emotion. "There was so much about her that changed me. . . she made me see that no truths or ideals applied to everyone, and no one person's were correct. She made me see so much, and she probably didn't even know it. And now she won't."

The sheer amount of heartbreak in his voice terrified her, whether this trainer was just a friend or not. He sounded so torn up about her death, and she felt so bad that he was feeling that way. "Can you tell me her name?" she requested quietly, wanting to at least know the name of the girl who turned her crush into the wonderful person he was today.

"Hilda. Hilda Shiro. Beautiful name, isn't it?" He let out a dry, humorless laugh. "She was beautiful in every way. I didn't know too much about emotion back then, but now that I do, I know that even though she was beautiful and smart and kind and an amazing friend, she was only that. I don't think our friendship would've ever progressed into an actual relationship if we had found each other, and I'm alright with that. I just never thought I would lose a human friend so early."

"Nobody could've imagined that something like this would happen," she reminded him gently. A small part of her was revelling in the fact that he hadn't liked Hilda in the way she liked him, but she stamped down that part for later. Now was not the time for that; now was the time for helping her friend with his grief.

His silence spoke louder than his words had as he separated himself from her. "Can we talk about something else now?" he asked in a small voice, trying to subtly shove the paper he had in his hands into his pocket without alerting her. She noticed, but didn't say anything about it. Some things were best left private.

"Of course. What do you want to talk about?" There was a wide range of topics she had in mind, but she felt that he should be able to choose.

"Anything. How's that friend of yours, the one with the qwilfish hair?"

Qwilfish hair? There was only one person she knew who fit that description. "Oh, you mean Hugh. He's fine, I guess. A little lonely now that his sister went on a journey of her own. In all honesty, he would've went with her, but he wanted to go to a different region to train. He's still set on beating me in battle, too." She laughed a little, remembering all of the times they had battled and she had won.

"He'll have to do a lot more than train somewhere else to beat you, won't he?" N held a little humor in his eyes with this statement, knowing firsthand that training means nothing against her without strategy. Even _with_ strategy, he hadn't beaten her yet. "What else is going on in your life?"

She had to think about that for a moment. When was the last time they had talked? "Um, there actually hasn't been a lot of interesting things going on in my life lately." Usually she had at least one thing she told him, but she had recently found herself bored and only training and relaxing. "My mom did tell me that there's going to be gym leaders from all over the world at the PWT next month."

He arched an eyebrow in slight interest. It was said to be one of the largest gatherings of gym leaders in years. "Yeah? Are you thinking of competing?"

"Maybe. I still have to give it more thought. Rumor has it that even the champions are going to be there as well, and I don't want to risk making a fool out of myself."

"Says the girl who beat the Elite Four and Iris without a second thought or a break." The ghost of a smile played on his lips as he spoke now, his eyes no longer red though they still concealed heartbreak.

Well, she hadn't exactly thought about that. "Yeah, but that was after a long period of training. Jumping right from gym leaders to the champion if I win will be harder, I think."

He shook his head as though he didn't believe her, but continued on. "Anything else you're excited for?"

 **X-X-X**

They made small talk like that for a good couple of hours, not even getting to the battle Rosa had been expecting on her way to the castle. As the sky darkened, though, she knew she had to start on her way home or else her mom would worry.

"I've got to get going," she said apologetically once she checked the time on her cross-transceiver. Lifting her bag onto her shoulders- she had ditched it on the ground to use as a sort of pillow earlier- she stood facing N. "I'll come again before next month, so you better be ready to battle!"

There was the smile she had been waiting for. It lit up his entire face like he was a little kid with a lot of candy. "Of course. I'll be waiting." Just as she turned to go, she felt a slight tug on her hand, keeping her back. Again, it felt odd for him to be initiating contact, but she took it. "One more thing, Rosa."

"Yeah?" She turned around, expecting him to let go of her hand once he did, but instead he used it to pull her closer. Bending down to her height, he gave her a warm hug. Then, before she could even react and her cheeks already burning, he gave her a quick peck on her forehead.

"Thank you for everything today, Rosa," he said once he pulled away. Her mouth was slightly agape in surprise and her entire face was probably as red as her zoroark's fur, but she quickly shook it off with a beaming smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again."

"Me too, N." Her heart was soaring as she bid him a final goodbye and released her hydreigon, which she then climbed on to fly her home to Aspertia City. She couldn't wait for next time.

* * *

 **Y'know, when I wrote the entire six pages of this in an hour, I sent it to my friend to make sure I tortured N enough. Not that I hate him- he's one of my favorite characters of all time! I just felt like this would be an appropriate setup for VoidCube. Their age gap is small enough to work with, especially if I'm assuming that Rosa is around sixteen here, the same age Hilda would be if I hadn't brutally murdered her. (Also, I love Hilda, too. Just sayin'.)**

 **One more thing- if you have a rarepair to suggest, please tell me via PM and I'll probably add it to my list! However, I _will not_ write anything that is pokemon x pokemon, has a humongous age difference (like Blaine x PC or something), and please, absolutely _no_ pokemon x person. That's just disgusting.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I'll see you next time!**


	2. Kalosian Charm- ChocolatBlanc

**Here comes the early update squad! Happy Valentine's Day (aka my favorite holiday)! I haven't seen y'all since New Year's Eve! Writing this would've gone a lot faster if musical practice hadn't been eating up my time, but I still love how this turned out. This is the first time I've written for one of these characters, too. Without further ado, have fun with this ChocolatBlanc (Hilda x Calem) oneshot!**

* * *

Unova was in good hands, Hilda knew. The last time she'd been there, she'd caught up with her old friends and let her mom know she was safe, all in the matter of a month or two, so she felt no guilt upon leaving initially. But now, she was becoming more antsy being away from home, and she didn't quite know why. Well, that wasn't exactly true; she had a couple of theories. One of which, probably the most plausible, was that the last time she had been away from Unova was when she was looking for N, so she had a purpose driving her forward. And in those couple of years, her friends had grown up, Team Plasma had resurfaced, Ghetsis had tried to _kill_ someone… She really couldn't be blamed for worrying about her home, even if she was only going to be gone for a couple of months. Besides, the new champion was more than capable of holding down fort.

Although, she had to admit, Kalos was really nice in the winter. She noticed that in most areas of Kalos, barely any snow fell and the temperature, while cold, didn't by any means reach the chill that Unova had in the winter, especially so far this year. Where she was now, Cyllage City, wasn't quite at the point where she could still wear her shorts and short-sleeve shirts, but it _was_ December, so there wasn't much she could do about it. Then again, at least it was warmer than in Unova, which was already blanketed in snow and was hovering below freezing on a daily basis.

Cyllage City had another charm to it, and that, of course, was the gym. If she were here for any other reason she'd be challenging the gym leader right now, but she didn't come here for battling; she came here for a bit of away-from-home relaxation. That said, she enjoyed being able to travel at her leisure without any evil team to worry about and nobody to look for (as boring as it occasionally was).

She absently reached into her bag, fingering some of the supplies she'd brought before extracting her emboar's poké ball. Even if she was on her own person-wise, there was no harm in sharing some time with her oldest partner. Emboar was released in a flash of light, the flames on its body heating up the air around them. "Hey, Em," she spoke to it, using the nickname she gave it so long ago. Em softened under her touch as she reached up a bit to pat its head. She didn't enjoy admitting this, but it was clear that at five feet and four inches tall, she was only one inch taller than her emboar, still making her a bit on the short side for a seventeen-year-old.

She tugged on the sweatshirt she had opted to wear over her short sleeves as the two walked down the length of the beach, watching the seawater lap at the shoreline. Almost nobody was outside, probably because they were under the impression that this was as cold as it could ever be. It was nice to not have to be dodging other people and the occasional trainer who would want to battle, though. Sometimes those random trainers approaching her one after another for a battle that would end in three minutes got on her nerves.

"Looks like I'm not the only one crazy enough to be outside today." Hilda turned, surprised by the sound of someone talking to her, especially a voice with no Kalosian accent as she had already learned to expect. A boy around her age with black hair falling around his face smiled down at her- he was at least two inches taller. "My friends keep calling me crazy for thinking that this was warm."

"Right? It's so much colder in other regions right now," Hilda commented somewhat tentatively, but with a smile of her own. Finally, here was someone who could appreciate the nice weather.

The boy tugged on his blue-and-white jacket a bit before speaking again. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name's Calem." He stuck his hand out, and she grasped it with her firm grip.

"I'm Hilda." Their hands remained clasped for a moment before they both dropped to their sides. "I'm sorry, are you from around here? Everyone I've met so far has a Kalosian accent…"

"Actually, I moved here about a year ago," he admitted, his stance relaxing a bit once their conversation began coming more naturally. "I'm from Sinnoh, so I know that this weather could be much colder." He tilted his head in curiosity, keeping his eyes locked with hers. "Are you visiting, then?"

Hilda nodded, a hand on her emboar now out of habit. "I'm from Unova, I just came here for a sort of vacation."

Calem laughed lightly. "If you're going to come for a vacation, you could've come during the summer months. It's much warmer, you know."

"No, really? It's warmer in the summer? Who would've guessed." The sarcasm slipped right off of her tongue before she could stop it, and her eyes widened slightly in realization of what she said. Luckily, Calem laughed again.

"Now that, I can appreciate," he joked, his smokey gray eyes sparkling, even with the slightly cloudy skies. "Is that one of your pokémon, then?"

Even with her hand on Em, she almost forgot it was there. "Yeah, Emboar's been with me for my entire journey," she said, her hand gently rubbing the pokémon's short, warm fur. "You're a trainer then, too, right?"

"Absolutely." Calem's carefree smile morphed into a large grin. "My partner has been with me for my journey as well, no matter how weird things became."

"You want weird? You should've seen my journey." Even with her confident tone, he still looked somewhat doubtful at her claim. "I'm serious! There's no way your journey was stranger than mine."

He quickly stuck a hand in the bag at his side bag, retrieving a poké ball of his own. "Shall we settle this with a battle, fair maiden?"

She snorted at his sudden chivalry, exchanging a quick glance with her emboar. "Why not?" She hesitated a second before adding, "Maybe after do you want to grab something to eat? My treat."

"Sounds good. You're on, Hilda."

 **X-X-X**

December melted into January with no problem. Along with the new winter month came even colder temperatures, which Calem's friends _still_ called him crazy for being out in with only a heavier jacket on. What could he say, though? He had lived in Sinnoh for most of his life, and it was below freezing and often in the negatives in the winter. Now _that_ was cold. They just didn't understand it.

Hilda understood, though. Calem would be lying if he said that he didn't talk to her at all after their battle and lunch together. No, after a long and laughter-filled conversation, he had offered to show her some of Kalos's best places, although most of those places were only the best in his opinion. It was pure luck that she liked all of the locations he brought her to. They were both surprised to find that they had a lot in common, from their love of battling to their very weird journeys (which, by the way, they had decided were equally strange). Her natural sarcasm was appreciated as well, matching his own sense of humor.

Eventually their wanderings brought them to Aquacorde Town's café, where he had met his first pokémon and had his first battle against his friend Shauna. The café sold his favorite winter beverage: hot cocoa with extra whipped cream. It was some of the best hot cocoa in all of Kalos in his opinion, and was even better than most places in Sinnoh. And this time around, he prepared a small surprise for Hilda, too, something she'd been asking about for a while now.

Hilda looked kind of confused as they approached the café, since the table he was leading her to already had four people sitting around it waving to them. Upon seeing his conspiratorial smile, though, she grinned as well, her eyes brightening as realization dawned on her face.

"Calem!" Shauna bounded out of her seat and over to him, nearly knocking him over with a fierce hug. "It's been forever." It was only once she let go of him that she turned and smiled at Hilda. "Hi, I'm Shauna!"

Calem's other friends had since stood up and came over as well. "Nice to meet you, I'm Serena," his honey-blonde friend introduced in her smooth Kalosian accent and a small, alluring smile. She'd always been one for turning up the charm with new people.

Tierno spun around a couple of times and flashed a peace sign before introducing himself. "The name's Tierno, and that's Trevor," he said with a grin, gesturing to Trevor, who had a bit of a shy smile resting on his face as he gave a small wave and a nod towards Calem.

"It's nice to meet you all! I'm Hilda," his new friend introduced with her wide smile. "Calem's told me a lot about you."

"The same goes for you. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't introduce us sooner, it's almost like he's embarrassed by us," Serena joked, bumping her shoulder against his. Hilda laughed as he blushed, and he knew right away that introducing Hilda to his friends was a great idea. "So, you're from Unova? Is that why you seem to not be bothered by this weather?"

Oh, yeah. He almost hadn't noticed that everyone was in their heavy winter coats while he and Hilda were wearing jackets, or in her case, a sweatshirt. "Yeah," Hilda shrugged, "I'm used to much colder weather in the winter. This is pretty warm for me."

"No offence," Tierno interjected before Serena and Shauna could get another word in, "but the hot cocoa is calling our names." Calem and Trevor were both relieved, since they knew how much Serena and Shauna could talk, and it only would've been a matter of time until they dragged Hilda into one of their hour-long conversations. He could tell his friends needed the warmth; Tierno and Trevor were already slightly shivering, and he basically had to bribe them all with the hot cocoa for them to agree to come.

Which is what led them back to the café table, sipping on their steaming drinks as soon as they arrived. "Mm, I almost forgot to ask," Serena spoke up after taking her first sip, a small dot of whipped cream left behind on her nose. "Calem, do you have a girlfriend yet?"

He nearly spit out his mouthful of hot cocoa. His face burned as she and his other friends laughed, though Hilda looked a bit embarrassed for him as she giggled along. And was that a bit of intrigue he saw in her eyes?

"Not at the moment, no," he managed after a moment of collecting his wits. Leave it to Serena to spring a question like that on him and catch him off guard; it wasn't like she hadn't done the same before.

"Really? I would've thought you'd be dating someone by now," Trevor commented casually, leaning back in his chair slightly and fiddling with the edges of his coat. Hilda nodded in agreement, though the intrigued that may have been in her eyes was now replaced with something he couldn't quite recognize. Wait, why was he paying so much attention to her eyes?

Shauna laughed heartily, her already bright eyes gleaming mischievously. "Like you're one to talk. You and Serena only started dating, what, a couple of months ago?" Both parties ducked their heads slightly in an attempt to hide their equally pink faces. "What about you, Hilda?"

"Hmm?" She set down her mug, holding up a finger before swallowing and asking, "what about me?"

"She was asking if you're dating anyone," Tierno clarified, causing her face to become littered with pink as well, accenting the small sprinkle of freckles across her nose.

Her fingers started absently tapping against her mug. "U-um, no, I'm not dating anyone right now. I haven't really had the time to, recently."

Shauna faked an innocent, unsuspecting look, but Calem could tell that she had something else on her mind. "Anyway, we can talk about all of this later, can't we?"

"What are you talking about?" Calem asked slowly, not totally comprehending what Shauna meant. Sure, he'd been planning on him and Hilda talking with his friends for a couple of hours or so, but he intended for them to hit the road again after this and checking in with his mom in Vaniville Town.

Serena grinned, resting her forearms on the table as she leaned forward. "Hilda and Shauna are staying at my house tonight, that's what."

It was safe to say that both he and Hilda were somewhat surprised by this information. Hilda certainly didn't know how to respond. "I thought that we were going to leave again after this," he admitted to the girls, but he could already tell how this was going to play out.

"Not anymore!" Shauna winked at him and Hilda, her grin as wide and full of mischief as Serena's. Tierno and Trevor just looked on and sipped their cocoa, knowing that it was useless to argue with the girls once they set their minds on something. "The best way to get to know a new friend is a sleepover, of course! How else do you think Serena and I know so much about each other? We've been having sleepovers ever since we met."

A nostalgic look appeared for a moment on Hilda's face. "Well, it couldn't hurt, I guess," she relented with a small smile directed at Calem. "It's been a really long time since I've had a sleepover."

"It's settled then!" Trevor jumped slightly at Serena's kind of loud declaration, as their friend- and his girlfriend, apparently- usually saved that tone for when she was incredibly fired up. She stood, followed quickly by Shauna, who grabbed Hilda's wrist and pulled her up as well. "See you boys tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder with a happy yet teasing grin, signalling to Calem that she was _definitely_ up to something. Shauna threw a wink over her shoulder, and Hilda simply looked back with an apologetic look that said something along the lines of "What can you do?"

"...I guess it's just us, then," Trevor commented as the girls faded from sight. The three turned to each other, still slightly reeling from the whole ordeal. "What should we do tonight, then?"

Tierno snapped his fingers after a moment of thought. "I've got it! Let's battle, us two-" he motioned to himself and Trevor- "against you," he suggested, pointing an index finger towards Calem. "Then we can go to my house. Loser pays for the hot cocoa."

Calem laughed heartily, standing and pulling out a poké ball. Some things never changed, did they? "You're on."

 **X-X-X**

" _You'll have to excuse him," Serena apologized once the three girls were out of earshot of their male friends. "He's not one to pick up hints."_

 _Hilda glanced between them, somewhat bewildered by what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"_

" _We mean," Shauna giggled, spinning around to face Hilda, "that we know you have a crush on Calem and that he's a bit too oblivious to know." Hilda must've looked startled, because Shauna laughed again, her smile wide and reassuring. "Trust us, we have amazing intuition on these things. You can believe us when we say he's into you, too. He just doesn't know it yet."_

"Hilda? Hilda, are you listening?" She was brought back to the present by a hand waving in front of her face. Just behind it she could see the chilly February skies of Coumarine City, the newest location on the map of her small journey with Calem.

Her head shook of its own accord, clearing her thoughts as she smiled an easy smile. "Yeah, sorry," she apologized, looking back at him. "I just spaced out for a minute, that's all."

Calem nodded in understanding as they continued walking. "Thinking of home again?" It was a casual inquiry, but it still made her take in a sharp breath. Her vacation was coming to a close, and with the slightly warmer temperatures came the thought of going home and sleeping in her own bed, something she hadn't done in a long time. But at the same time, she became somewhat attached to Kalos. Or, as Serena and Shauna would've put it, attached to a certain someone in Kalos.

So maybe she had developed a crush on Calem since she met him, and Shauna and Serena may have reassured her that he was into her, but it was still reasonable for her to have some doubts, especially since she'd be leaving the region soon enough. Chances were, they'd never see each other once she left. That's just how life works, isn't it? "Yeah," she breathed out after a moment. "Just thinking of home." She couldn't meet his eyes, instead training her gaze on the horizon of the beautiful city.

"We've got less than a month together," he noted, and she could feel his eyes shift over to her. "We still have a lot of places to hit before then."

She hummed under her breath in response, kicking at the ground a little. "I don't really want to leave so soon," she muttered, forcing herself to look up at him. Instinctively, she moved a bit closer to him, feeling his arm wrap around her shoulders. It didn't surprise her, and she appreciated the warmth. Over the last two months, they'd grown close enough that they were comfortable with the kind of physical relationship that best friends have. And to be blunt, she loved it.

"I don't really want you to leave so soon." His tone was soft to the point that she almost couldn't hear him. She blinked, nestling a little closer into him as they continued walking. "But I've got a surprise for you today."

A surprise? She let herself be pulled along with him, still staying as close to him as possible. For all she knew, today wasn't anything special. Was she forgetting something? Whatever the case, her mind was somewhat clouded with thoughts bouncing through as he led her up a hill overlooking the monorail.

"Whoa." The word slipped through her lips at the breathtaking sight as they reached the peak, her eyes widening to take in more at once. "I can't _believe_ this view."

Even without looking up at him, she could tell that he was smiling. "I knew you'd like it. This is Hillcrest Cliff; I found it last September. It's my favorite place in all of Kalos."

"I can see why. It's a good place to contemplate life and mortal existence, isn't it," she joked, allowing a few drops of sarcasm to seep out into her statement.

"Oh, ha ha. C'mere." He held onto her hand as he brought her into a seated position on the surprisingly dry grass. His attention slid to his bag for a moment as he rummaged through it, bringing out a small woven basket-like container. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Her hand flew up to her forehead. " _That's_ what today is! I forgot," she admitted with a hint of embarrassment. She was glad that Calem only looked amused by this, and wasn't mad or anything. "What's in the basket?"

"Macarons that Serena and Shauna made for us, and if you had remembered what today is, you would've been able to have some," he commented with an air of nonchalance, moving the basket away from her.

She reached for the basket, but he held it away from her with a teasing grin. Both of them were laughing now as she collapsed onto him. "Come on, I'm sorry! Please?"

He rolled over so they were on their sides, facing each other. "Maybe… On one condition." His lips twitched up in a sweet smile. "If you'll be my valentine."

If macarons hadn't been on the line and she wasn't in public, she would've been screaming with happiness. "Absolutely, yes," she breathed out, slightly out of breath from laughing so hard. "And not just for the macarons."

They pushed themselves up, each taking a pecha berry-flavored macaron from the basket, preferring the sweeter tastes to the more bittersweet of the rawst berry-flavored pastries. She felt Calem's arm wrap around her shoulders again, and she leaned into his embrace. "I really like you, you know," she told him after finishing her first macaron.

He smiled down at her, his gray eyes appearing almost like liquid. "I know. And just so you know, I really like you." That was all she needed to hear for a soft smile to perk her lips up as she reached for a second macaron. They sat in the silence of their already spoken words for a moment before she had an idea.

"Come to Unova with me." She could tell that her suggestion caught Calem off guard, and hurriedly explained. "You showed me your home, and I want to show you mine. I can show you the whole region, and you can meet my friends, and-"

"Yes." Now it was his answer that caught her off guard. "That sounds awesome." He winked at her, his light, easy smile growing a touch wider. "On one condition."

Anything. "And that is?"

He leaned forward slightly with his eyes closed, kissing her gently for only a couple of seconds before pulling away. His lips tasted sweet like the macarons. "Be my girlfriend?"

She didn't even need to respond, leaning forward and kissing him herself, this one lasting much longer than the first as he kissed back. Now that she knew he was coming with her, she didn't mind leaving Kalos as much anymore.

* * *

 **Once again, I have to thank my Writer's Guild friends for their valuable feedback on this chapter. And like I said in the first chapter, if there's a particular rarepair you want to see, or a particular situation, let me know by PMing me. The rules are as follows:** **I _will not_ write pokemon x pokemon, anything with a humongous age difference (like Blaine x PC or something), and please, absolutely _no_ pokemon x person. That's just disgusting. **

**Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time!**


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